Paul opens the letter to the Philippians with a unique greeting: “Paul and Timothy, bondservants of Christ Jesus.” Understanding the cultural context of that time, this title carries significant implications. Slavery was commonplace, and many individuals became slaves due to poverty, war, or criminal acts. Unlike the modern understanding of slavery, these individuals often served as slaves for a limited period before being granted freedom to return to their former lives.
If a slave had a strong bond with their family, they could choose to remain with them after being freed. They would be marked by piercing their ear on the family doorpost and given a special ring, indicating their lifelong commitment to the family’s service. These individuals were known as bondservants.
Paul’s message was simple: he and Timothy were slaves by choice, committed to Christ for life. They would never leave the service of the Lord. Even while imprisoned, Paul remained dedicated to spreading the Gospel. Having been freed from the law on the road to Damascus, he spent the rest of his life as a willing slave and humble servant.
We cannot live our daily lives as servants to the world or its culture. The world grinds its slaves into despair and death, offering no boundaries or rules and trapping people in the slavery of self-interest. However, when we accept the Lord into our lives, we experience liberation as new creations in Christ.
If we, like Paul, are willing to trust and follow the Lord, He rewards us with a meaningful life on Earth and eternity in His presence. We can never leave because in making the decision to become “bondservants,” we finally discover the true freedom we have always longed for. Our Heavenly Father will always treat us as His children, protecting, preparing, and providing for us as only a father can. It is the most extraordinary life of serving imaginable.
God Bless You.
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Paul and Timothy, bond-servants of Christ Jesus,
To all the [a]saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, [b]including the overseers and deacons: 2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
3 I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, 4 always offering prayer with joy in my every prayer for you all, 5 in view of your [c]participation in the gospel from the first day until now. 6 For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus. 7 [d]For it is only right for me to feel this way about you all, because I have you in my heart, since both in my [e]imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, you all are partakers of grace with me. 8 For God is my witness, how I long for you all with the [f]affection of Christ Jesus. 9 And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment, 10 so that you may [g]approve the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and blameless [h]until the day of Christ; 11 having been filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.
Walking With God 
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